Interview with Mertianna Georgia about Angel of Syn

Today’s spotlight shines on paranormal urban fantasy author Mertianna Georgia who is here to tell us about the second book in her Synemancer trilogy, Angel of Syn.

Mertianna will be awarding a canvas tote bag printed with the book cover on one side and a saying on the other ("Are you a syn-er?"), and filled with goodies plus a $20 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour (U.S. ONLY). If you’d like to be entered to win, leave a comment below. And if you’d like to increase your chances, visit other tour stops and leave comments there.

Welcome Mertianna. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

I currently live with my husband and dogs in northern California. I have a son who attends college in San Francisco. After years of working in the business world while secretly wishing I could be a writer, I finally took a leap of faith and started writing. My first book, Syn in the City, was published in 2010 and I haven’t looked back since. Well maybe a few glances in the rearview mirror, just to see if anyone was tailing me, but not many.

Please tell us about your current release.

In the second book of the Synemancer Series, Cara Augustine is a fugitive -- pursued by the supernatural police for breaking a major covenant. The punishment is death. She’s a Synemancer, a witch who attracts and binds men of power to fuel her own magic. Which is how she got into this mess in the first place. Too many men, too much trouble, too little time to prove her innocence.

What inspired you to write this book?

I’ve always been fascinated with the supernatural, paranormal, fantasy, and science fiction. People in my family have had psychic/paranormal experiences, especially my mother and grandmother. I’ve always thought they had intuition gone wild. My grandmother gave me a book on white witchcraft when I was a teenager, which goes to show the acorn didn’t fall far from the tree. I used to ask her if she dated Nostradamus. I think she thought it was funny. Not sure what a grandmotherly snort indicated. She seemed to have a gleam in her eyes. All the time. Also, the family just takes for granted that my mother can tell if someone’s in trouble. Like the night my mother woke in the middle of the night and insisted she had to fly to England because her grandchildren were in danger. My brother and his family were living there at the time. The night my mother wanted to travel from the U.S. to the U.K. was the night a burglar broke into my brother’s home while they were sleeping. No one hurt, thank goodness. But how could she have known? Eerie. Wonderful. A little wacky. Inspiring.

So, when I decided to really write a book, not just think about writing a book, I wanted to write a story I’d personally want to read. Throw in my family, interests, and even my business experience (Synemancer came from the word “synergy” a big concept in business), and out came this story of a twenty-something witch living in a world full of supernatural beings. Not only were they a part of her world, but a normal part of her world. She starts out not having power or a lot of belief in herself, but discovers she’s stronger and more capable than she ever imagined.

My character isn’t me, of course, but she’s part of me. I remember being on my own for the first time and having major anxiety attacks about whether I’d be able to make it. But I survived and thrived. And so does my character – eventually.

What exciting story are you working on next?

I’m working on the last book in the Synemancer trilogy, tentatively titled Dark Syns. Also, I have a mystery short story called “The Bridesmaid Wore a Bullet” coming out in an anthology. There are at least a dozen stories I’m currently working on as I have time, mysteries, paranormal, and “literary” (for lack of a better definition). My mysteries are full of humor but no paranormal elements, just abnormal characters. The “literary” piece is about a sentient house, the generations of women who live in it, and how it got that way. For each of the genres I write with very different “voices” so it’s fun to go from one to the other and back again.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I vaguely remember writing stories in elementary school – I think about bunnies or unicorns or maybe bunnies with unicorn horns. I started writing a romance/suspense novel in high school but never finished it. However, that’s when my dream of being a writer really took hold. But life happens. Finally as an adult I decided to take a big chance and do what I’ve always dreamed of doing. I left the business world to write about the worlds in my head (at least it wasn’t about the voices in my head – they told me not to talk about them).

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I’ve gone back and forth from writing full time to having a day job. Unfortunately I’m not yet at the point where I can subsist just on my writing. I’m waiting for that big movie deal to come my way. They must have lost my phone number. And my email address. And my book. Anyway, if I had the choice I’d write full time.

My ideal typical day would start with coffee and cocoa and maybe an almond croissant. Then I’d sit at a computer or with a notebook and let my characters tell me what they’re going to do next. I like writing in silence. I’ve tried putting together a playlist, but I’d start fantasizing about the lyrics or the singer and lose focus on my writing. According to a workshop I attended, most people can be truly creative only about four hours a day. That syncs with how I write (on ideal days), about two hours in the morning, break for lunch, and two hours in the early afternoon. I guess I’d have to throw in some exercise because I’ve been told that walking to the kitchen and back doesn’t count (especially if I’m bringing back a snack). That’s my ideal day.

Right now, I have a day job and family and pets and groups and friends, so I actually don’t have many ideal writing days. I wrote full time when I created Syn in the City and pretty much wore my jammies until way after lunch. No such luxury for writing Angel of Syn. I had to eke out little chunks of time for that one. I hope with the third book I’ll get better at eking. I’d love to write full time again sometime in the future. Movie people, are you listening?

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I’m not sure I have any writing quirks as all my quirks fall under the “quirky personality” category. Well, the quirks don’t actually fall so much as tumble wildly around me as I write. Dodging tumbling quirks is fun. Everyone should try it.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

The list is long because I kept changing my mind. At different times I wanted to be a witch, a voodoo queen, a princess, a doctor, and a unicorn. Unfortunately, the unicorn thing didn’t work out. Horns are really hard to grow.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I’d love to hear from you. What did you want to be when you grew up? What characteristics would your perfect story heroine possess? Do you know any movie producers?

Website | Facebook

Thanks, Mertianna. Readers, don't forget to leave a comment if you'd like to be entered for a chance to win the gift bag giveaway. 

Interview with romantic fiction author Maggie Jaimeson

Please welcome romantic fiction author Maggie Jaimeson to Reviews and Interviews. She's sharing today with us to talk about her newest novel, Healing Notes.

Maggie's tour is every Monday for 12 weeks. Maggie will award one autographed cover flat to a randomly drawn commenter at each blog stop. In addition, she will award a $25 gift card to either Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner's choice) as a grand prize to one randomly selected commenter on this tour. You must leave an email address to be entered into any of the drawings. And if you'd like more chances to win, visit other tour stops along Maggie's tour and leave comments there. 

Bio:
Maggie Jaimeson writes romantic women’s fiction and romantic suspense with a near future twist. She describes herself as a wife, a step-mother, a sister, a daughter, a teacher, and an IT administrator. By day she is “geek girl” – helping colleges to keep up with 21st century technology and provide distance learning options for students in rural areas. By night Maggie turns her thoughts to worlds she can control – worlds where bad guys get their comeuppance, women triumph over tragedy, and love can conquer all.

Healing Notes is the second book in the Sweetwater Canyon Series of four books.  The final two books will be available in 2013.

Welcome, Maggie. Please tell us about your current release.

Healing Notes is the second book in my Sweetwater Canyon series. The series follows an all women Americana band through their tours, their trials, and tribulations together and as each finds love. This is Rachel’s story, the fiddle player in the band.

In the previous book, Rachel was raped while the band is on tour. This was a huge blow to her as she partially blames herself. She had been quite promiscuous while trying to overcome the blow to her ego when her husband left her for another woman. The book explores her recovery from rape, and how she and the man she comes to love work through the questions surrounding that part of her life. To complicate matters, the man has a young daughter and his own baggage from his previous marriage that he is trying to balance with his feelings, his fears, and his prejudices about Rachel’s past.

What inspired you to write this book?

As I said, this is the second book in the series. When I wrote the first book, Undertones, I didn’t know that Rachel would be raped. When the scene came to me and I started writing it, I have to say it was as much a surprise to me as to my character. So, of course, I needed to resolve that and find a happily ever after for her. One of the main reasons I write romance is to prove that love conquers all and to have control over a world and relationships where no matter what happens, there is a way to find a happily ever after.

In terms of why rape, the antithesis of romance, even appeared in the first book, I suspect it is the expression of a fear that always lurks in the mind of many women. I come from a large extended family and more than 50% of the women in my family have been raped—some as children. When I was in my 30’s and divorced from my first husband, I was raped on a date. It was not nearly as horrific as what happened to my character, Rachel. But like Rachel, I still blamed myself. I asked myself what I did to deserve it. Unfortunately, I think it is also common for women to blame themselves no matter the circumstances. In my case I blamed myself for not seeing the signs, for being too trusting, for all kinds of reasons that had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Once I began writing Rachel’s story, I wanted to explore the question of why—even with all the progress we’ve made for women’s rights—we still today blame the victim. You are probably thinking: “Gosh, this sounds depressing.” Actually, I believe you will find Rachel’s story very uplifting. For it is when you overcome the longest odds and the deepest hurts that appreciate your happily ever after that much more. I know I do.

Here is an excerpt from later in the book. Rachel and Noel have been building up to the big sex scene for a long time. Noel has shared some of his past, secrets about his ex-wife and why he’s so protective of his daughter. It’s very late at night and, the sweet kiss goodbye before Rachel laves his house becomes really heated and begins to move to the next step. As clothes begin to come off, Noel’s daughter calls from her bedroom that she needs a drink of water.

            Noel came back into the living room and sat near her on the sofa. “I’m sorry, Rachel, I shouldn’t have let that go so far. This is exactly why we can’t spend too much time together.”

“Did you see me complaining?” she asked.

His lips curved up in a combination of non-repentant rake and wistful regret. “I can’t just sleep with you. I want to—oh, God, I want to—but I can’t do that to you, knowing you’ll be hurt in the end. I have a lot of need stored up and it’d be so easy to let it loose with you. But that would be all it is. I don’t have anything else to give.”

“I’m a big girl, Noel. Don’t you think I can make my own choice here? What if I’m willing to just be a friend and a lover, without the extra complications?”

Her heart beat double-time. She wanted more. Oh, God forgive her, she wanted the whole package even if she didn’t deserve it. But, for now, she would take whatever he was willing to give.

“Rachel, I can’t. For me it’s all or nothing. With Claire, I have to think that way.” She shook her head, unwilling to accept defeat. Before she could say anything, he put a finger to her mouth. “Suffice it to say that if you and I … had sex … it would be a relationship.”

She closed her eyes and took two deep breaths. No! She would convince him otherwise. She’d always been able to convince men to have a fling. She squared her shoulders and her breathing quickened. She wasn’t going to walk out of here in defeat, not when it was obvious he wanted her.

She stood in front of him, her teeth clenched. “What is it you were offering just a moment ago? Sex or love?” She leaned toward him, making sure he could see down the scoop neck of her shirt.

He smiled and sat back, wresting his eyes from the view. “Come on, Rachel. You know we both got carried away. Don’t make this a wrestling match neither one of us can feel good about.”

“If Claire hadn’t called, would you have gone all the way? Would you still be inside me now?”

He stared at her, then nodded, but he didn’t move even an inch toward her.

She straddled him on the sofa, her knees trapping his legs, her hands on each side of his shoulders. She leaned into him, her breasts grazing his mouth, and whispered into his ear with a sultry voice. “I want you. You want me. What’s wrong with giving each other pleasure? What’s wrong with helping each other forget the complications in our lives?” She ran her tongue along the inner flesh of his ear. He groaned. She nuzzled his neck and rained it with kisses.

“I can wait for another night, if you want. I can even wait until you get a babysitter for Claire and we meet somewhere else.” She lowered to his lap and moved against him, feeling the hardness build. “But there’s no reason for two adults who like each other not to help each other in this way. If it grows to something more, great. If not, we both entered into it willingly.” She looked into his eyes and could see the desire warring with something else.

He put his hands firmly at her waist and held her still. He brushed a kiss across her lips. “God, you drive me crazy.” He took a deep breath, then lifted her off him and stood, placing her feet safely on the ground a good foot away from him. “Rachel, it’s not you. It’s me. I just…can’t. I need…”

The words seemed to catch in his throat. He opened his mouth to complete the sentence, but he couldn’t. She saw him clamp down on the words and the thoughts. He stood, silent. Rachel felt that silence deep in her soul. How often had she wished for a good man? A man who could love her forever, and for a child, a daughter? Now, he was staring her right in the face and she couldn’t reach him. All the running she’d done. All that time trying to prove to herself that she was woman enough for any man.

She looked down. What did she think she was doing, coming on to him so strong? That was the exact wrong approach. That was her old M.O. wasn’t it? Exchange sex for love. Deep inside, she knew she could never hold on to love, so sex was what had kept her together.

Now that she’d found the right man, she wasn’t right for him. She never would be. In fact, if he knew about all that proving she’d done in her past, it would drive him even further away from her.

He reached for her hand. “I’m sorry.”

Her heart pounded. She felt his pain through her skin, like the drone of bagpipes at a funeral, the funeral of his soul. And it hurt so much she couldn’t move. She couldn’t find any words of comfort for either of them. She knew what it was like to feel completely abandoned, to wonder if it was something you did wrong. Drake had taught her that lesson when he raped her and left her to die. What Noel’s wife did was like that—a rape of his soul, and with Rachel he feared for his daughter’s soul.

Noel let go of her hand and her heart dropped. She wanted him. She wanted Claire and she didn’t know how she could make it right.

She stared at Noel, begging him to say something. Do something. He looked away, no longer able to meet her eyes.

“This isn’t over,” she said. “I’m not Clarissa. I admit I have my problems, but I’m not selfish and I don’t offer myself lightly. Well at least not anymore.” She walked to the kitchen, her spine straight, and slung her purse over her shoulder. She returned to stand only a few inches from him. “I love Claire. I’ve loved her since the moment I first saw her. I would never hurt her.” She bent forward and brushed her lips on his cheek. “Or you.”

She turned and let herself out the door.

What exciting story are you working on next?

I have three projects I’m working on right now. One is I’m completing the Sweetwater Canyon series. The next book, Heartstrings, is Sarah’s story and the complete opposite of Rachel. Sarah has been the sweet one in the band—the one that everyone is convinced is a 29 year old virgin. That is scheduled for release in July 2013. The final book of the series, Two Voices, is Kat and Theresa’s story. As they are mother and daughter I had to write their story together, and I had to wait until Kat was an adult. The final book is scheduled for release in November 2013.

I’ve also just completed a YA Fantasy novel that is the first in a series, under the name of Maggie Faire. This is my first YA novel and I have to say I absolutely loved writing it and I want to spend a long time in the world I built there. It’s being shopped to publishers right now, so I don’t know yet what will happen with it or when it will come out.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

There have been different times in my life when I thought of myself as a writer. In High School and into my early 20’s I regularly wrote poetry. The few I had published garnered me attention at least among my friends and family. But it was not a way to make a living. In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s I started writing and selling short stories, primarily to SF markets. But after a couple of years I stopped, again wondering why I was wasting time on something that could never be a career. For the next decade, I did write but it was non-fiction. I did publish four non-fiction books during that time. It was on my 50^th birthday that I gave myself permission to truly be the fiction writer and follow my dream. I vowed that I would not stop this time, that I would make it a career. That was when I began writing novels.

For eight years I wrote late at night, on weekends, on planes when I traveled on business. I squeezed writing into my 50+ hour work week as an academic administrator. In that time I completed eight novels. Four of them have now been published. The other four will never be published because they simply aren’t good enough and I have no desire to go back and redo them. Though I’ve always known that one part of myself was a writer. I now see myself as a committed fiction writer. I think that’s the big difference.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I have been a full-time writer since this past September and I can tell you it is such a feeling of freedom. I have written more words the best two months, than in the past two years. It really does make a difference in my production. It’s also been such a blessing to have time to connect with other writers, to keep up on my blog and to keep up with my readers.

It took me a couple of months to slow down and change my 50+ hour per week pace. I was very focused on finishing my YA novel before the end of the year and getting it out so I just delved in and wrote all the time. However, I now have a more sane plan. That up at 6:30 or 7:00am and have breakfast. I get to my computer about 8:00-8:30am and do writing-related things. That might be research, email, social media, etc. Do some type of exercise from 10am to 11am. I’m still settling in on what that looks like. Right now it is Zumba DVDs.

Then I write from 11am until about 6pm straight with a 30 minute break around 3pm for an afternoon snack. At 6pm I take a break, help my husband with dinner (he’s the cook in the family), and spend some time with him. I usually return to the computer about 9pm to review what I wrote that day, do some editing or make notes about what I want to work on the next day when I’m fresh. I’m in bed by midnight.

This is my schedule five days a week. On the weekends I may get in another four to five hours of writing time, depending on what things my husband and I have scheduled to do. I also spend some time on the weekends catching up on TV programs I recorded during the week.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

The one that would drive people crazy if they sat near me, is that I talk to myself the entire time I write. I say the words I’m writing as I type them. I think there are two reasons for that. One, is that I’ve always been an auditory learner and so, when I’m developing a story, saying the words makes it stay in my mind. Second, I’ve come to believe that saying the words as I type also helps me to hear the rhythm of my sentences and to judge if the dialog is working.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

My ideas changed from doctor to dancer to astronaut and musician depending on what was going on in my life at the time and what caught my interest. I had a very fortunate childhood. As the oldest of nine children, I always had playmates and among us we had lots of chums in the neighborhood. I also lived only four blocks from the elementary school. In those days schools still provided free summer programs like tap, ballet, jazz, various sports, chorus, and free band or orchestra, as well as general neighborhood social opportunities. Without those programs I would have never experienced any of those things, as my family would not have been able to afford lessons for any of us.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

Thank you so much for having me on your blog today. I love the opportunity to meet readers and to talk books. I’m a rabid reader myself. I read about 100 novels a year, so talking books and finding out from others what are some great stories they’d recommend always makes me happy.

Ways to connect with me:

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter 

You're welcome, Maggie. Thanks for being here.

Readers, remember, Maggie will award one autographed cover flat to a randomly drawn commenter at each blog stop. In addition, she will award a $25 gift card to either Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner's choice) as a grand prize to one randomly selected commenter on this tour. You must leave an email address to be entered into any of the drawings. And if you'd like more chances to win, visit other tour stops along Maggie's tour and leave comments there. 

Buy links:

For ebooks:

Kindle 

Nook  

Kobo 

Apple 

Google Play

For print books:

Jan's Paperbacks 

Amazon  

CreateSpace

Interview with novelist Gledé Browne Kabongo

Today's guest is Gledé Browne Kabongo who has written a psychological thriller called, Conspiracy of Silence.

She's currently visiting different blogs each Monday for 16 weeks. Gledé will be awarding an Italian leather journal to a randomly drawn commenter (US/Canada Only) during the tour. For a chance to win, leave an email address with a comment below, and if you'd like more chances to win, visit other tour stops and leave a comment there. The more times you comment, the better your chances of winning.

Bio:

Gledé Browne Kabongo began writing at the age of fourteen when she covered soccer matches for her hometown newspaper. She has also written for the Patriot Ledger and Metrowest Daily News, two Massachusetts based metropolitan newspapers. She earned a master’s degree in communications from Clark University, and once had dreams of winning a Pulitzer Prize for journalism. These days her dreams have shifted to winning the Pulitzer for fiction, and a Best Screenplay Academy Award. For the past decade, Gledé has worked in senior marketing roles for organizations in the Information Technology, publishing and non-profit sectors. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two sons.

Welcome, Gledé. Please tell us about your current release.

Conspiracy of Silence is a psychological thriller set in Boston. The protagonist Nina Kasai has it all: stunning looks, Ivy League pedigree, a successful career, and an adoring husband. She’s the kind of woman who outwardly makes other women envious. But she’s been telling lies and keeping secrets about her past. When she lands the cover a prestigious business magazine however, she can no longer hide from the powerful enemy she escaped. Wealthy philanthropist Phillip Copeland wants to be the next Governor of Massachusetts and warns Nina to remain silent about the secret they share or else. She’s a woman on the edge because she’s kept her past hidden for her own reasons and to expose Phillip Copeland would cost her everything, including her husband. How does she become unstuck? Her one shot at reclaiming her life hinges on a dramatic courtroom battle where nothing is as it seems. Can Nina survive the final verdict?

What inspired you to write this book?

Everyone has secrets and sometimes, tough decisions have to be made about whether or not to reveal those secrets. I had a conversation years ago with someone close to me and I was shocked by what she told me. That sowed the seeds for Conspiracy of Silence. I decided to focus the story on a beautiful, Ivy League educated executive who is forced to confront a secret she buried many years ago, and the consequences that follow. The book ends with a dramatic courtroom showdown, which ironically, sets her free psychologically.

Excerpt:

Marc paced back and forth on the living room floor, his face laced with anger. It didn’t take long for Nina to discover the source of his wrath. He held up a photograph of Nina and Sonny Alvarez.

“Are you having an affair?” he asked, his jaw twitching.

Nina took two steps backwards, as if the damning photograph would cause her physical harm if she got close. She knew who had sent it and she berated herself for underestimating how low he could sink. By her way of thinking, Phillip figured if her marriage fell apart, she would come running to him and he could get her to do whatever he wanted. It’s the way he manipulated people: get them in a vulnerable state and then swoop in for the kill or make some grand sweeping gesture that would get you all happy, and before you realized what was happening, it was too late.

“That’s a strange question, Marc. When have I ever given you reason to think I was being unfaithful?”

“Never. Until now.”

“Babe, you’re getting worked up over nothing,” Nina said calmly. “Sonny and I are old friends from Stanford. I met him for lunch to discuss business.”

“On a Saturday? You said you were spending the weekend with Charlene. Look at the date on the bottom.” He shoved the photo into her hands.

“It was a quick, unplanned trip. Sonny works for a research company and Jack came to me with the idea of hiring his firm. I told Jack I would take care of it because of my connection to Sonny. I wanted to get it out of the way—one less thing on my plate during the work week.”

“Why haven’t I heard about this Sonny until now? And if there’s nothing going on, why lie to me about going to Charlene’s?”

“I already explained that, Marc. I told Jack I would take care of it because I knew Sonny personally.”

“So your boss called you on a Saturday, mentioned this research firm and you just decided to hop on a plane to Baltimore, just like that?”

Nina wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt and took deep calming breaths.

“Marc, I swear I’m not having an affair with Sonny or anyone else.”

“Then can you please explain this? It came with the photographs.” He pulled out a white sheet of paper from his back pocket and handed it to her.

Your wife is a liar. You deserve the truth.

What exciting story are you working on next?

I am very excited about my next book tentatively titled Swan. It’s the story of research scientist Dr. Shelby Cooper who receives a mysterious phone call with a shocking ultimatum: leave her family forever or take the rap for a murder she didn’t commit.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Although my first article was published when I was fourteen, I never really considered myself a writer. I wrote for my college newspaper and had newspaper and TV news internships. After college, I freelanced for a few months. But even when I was writing Conspiracy of Silence, I never really considered myself a writer. Now that it’s published and I have my next three books in the pipeline, I now legitimately feel that I’m a writer.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like?  If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I wish I could write full-time. That is my ultimate goal but I have a day job as a marketing director for a non-profit and a family. I typically write on the weekend or stay up late during the week if I’m really in the writing zone.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Most writing advice says you should write every single day and though I’m struggling to gain that discipline, I don’t operate that way. I can go weeks without writing and then once I get going, it’s hard to stop. I go through a few rounds of sporadic writing and at a certain point in the manuscript, I become obsessed where it consumes me day and night. Not good for my family but that’s how I get it done.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a banker and my second choice was to be a doctor. I hate math so the banker thing wouldn’t have worked out and the doctor choice was only fleeting. By the time I was eleven years old, I got bitten by the journalism bug and I’ve been writing on and off ever since but my biggest dream has always been to write novels that people can’t put down.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I have some fun facts up on my author website but I would say the weirdest one might be that I’m still annoyed that Matt Damon wasn’t nominated for an Oscar for the Talented Mr. Ripley and I don’t understand why Jude Law was. I know. Totally random.

Buy links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iUniverse

Thanks, Gledé.

Readers, just a reminder that Gledé will be awarding an Italian leather journal to a randomly drawn commenter (US/Canada Only) during the tour. For a chance to win, leave an email address with a comment below, and if you'd like more chances to win, visit other tour stops and leave a comment there.